Rail-joint.



J. M. BRATTEN, JR.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MARJ31, 1915.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

Elnbzntoz JOSEPH 111. BRA'ITEN, JR., OF FlARLEYS, NORTH CAROLINA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedql'an. 11, 131%.

Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr M. BRATTEN, J r., a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Earleys, in the county of Hertford andState of North Carolina, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in RailJoints, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a rail joint of suchconstruction that while the rails are held firmly down on the ties andagainst relative lateral movement and relative vertical movement, theyare free to slide axially to compensate for expansion and contractionand thereby eliminate all danger of the rails buckling under expan sionand contraction and eliminate all danger of the rail spikes beingloosened and pulled out of the ties.

With this and other objects in view my invention consists of the partsand combination of parts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the abutting ends oftwo rails with my improved joint. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 Fig. 1, the spikebeing shown in elevation.

The reference numeral 4 designates the ties. The rails shown are ofstandard type with the angles between the head 5 web 6, and base flanges7 drawn with the standard degree of slope.

The base 8 of the rail joint or chair is provided with two recesses 9whereby it has three points 10 of contact with the ties.

The base is provided with upwardly extending side marginal flanges 11and 12. The upper portion of the side marginal flange 11 is bentinwardly throughout its length to form a retaining member or bar 13between the underface of which and the upper face of the base member 8is formed a pocket 14 adapted to receive and retain the base flange 7 ofthe rail, the bottom of this pocket being flat to correspond with thebottom face of the rail base, while the upper wall of the pocket isdisposed on the same angle as the top face of the base flange 7, asshown, whereby the base flanges fit snugly within the said pocket thuspreventing vertical movement of the base flange within the said pocket.

The side marginal flange 12 of the base member is disposed a greaterdistance from the longitudinal axis ofthe rail base than is the flange11, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the base flange of the rail isinserted in the chair or base member there is a space between the outeredge of the rail base flange and the side marginal flange 12. The upperportion of the flange 12 is bent inwardly on the same angle as the angleof the upper face of the base flange 7, but is spaced therefrom andparallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, and constitutes a retaining bar15, which when the rail is in position in the chair extends a greaterdistance over the base flange 7 of the rail than does the retaining bar13. The object of thus constructing the two retaining bars 13 and 15 andleaving the space between the edge of the base flange of the railand'the side marginal flange 12 is to enable me to insert the rail baseflange 7 within the chair vertically so that the chair may be slippedunder the abutting ends of two rails and the rails dropped therein, andthus obviate the necessity of slipping the chair endwise on the rails.

In order to key the rails within the chair (by the term chair I ofcourse include the base 8, flanges 11 and 12, and retaining bars 13 and15) I provide a key composed of an upright member 16, an intermediateportion 17, and a base flange 18. The upright member is shaped to fitsnugly against the web of the rail with its upper edge snugly under theunder face of the rail, while the intermediate portion 17 fits snugly onthe upper face of the base flange 7 of the rail by reason of the factthat its under face is formed on the same angle as the angle of theupper face of the base flange, while the base flange 18 of the key isdisposed in a vertical plane to flt within the space between the outeredge of the rail base flange and the inner face of the vertical sidemarginal flange 12, all contacting faces of the several members beingparallel in order that there may be no binding or wedging action betweenthe parts and the rails so that the rails may be free to slide axiallyunder the force of contraction and expansion.

A notch or recess 19 is cut in the side marginal flange 12 of the base 8and a recess 20 is formed in the base flange 18 of the key for thereception of the spike 21, whereby the chair and the key are locked bysaid spike against relative longitudinal movement.

In order to remove the rails from the chair the key is withdrawnlongitudinally from the chair whereupon the base flange of the rail maybe moved into the space that was filled by the base flange of the keyand tilted, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the parts being soproportioned that the base flange of the rail has clearance by the inneredge of the retaining bar 13, so that the rail may be withdrawn from andinserted into the chair Vertically;

What I claim is: v

The combination with the abutting end portions of meeting rails havingbase flanges, a web and a head, of a chair for the rails comprising abase, side marginal upturned flanges, one of which is of greater heightand at a greater distance from the longitudinal axis of the rail basethan the other, the upper portion of said flanges being bent inwardly toconstitute retaining bars throughout their length, one of said retainingbars being disposed in a longitudinal plane higher than the other, saidvertical side marginal flanges being parallel throughout their length,and a straight key of substantially uniform thickness having parallelfaces throughout its length constructed to fit within the space betweenthe base marginal flange of the railand one of the side marginal flangesand the retaining bar carried thereby, said key being provided with anupright member held snugly when in position against the web of the railwith its upper edgefitting snugly under the head of the rail, and meanslocking the key to the chair; against relative longitudinal movementthereof whereby the rails may be inserted within said chair andwithdrawn therefrom vertically; said vkey locking the rails in saidchair against lateral and Ver-' tical movement but permitting them tomove axially relatively to the key and chair under the force ofexpansion and contraction.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence oftwo witnesses. V

JOSEPH M. BRATTEN, JR. I/Vitnesses:

J. H. MITCHELL, J. D. EARLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. l

